Highlands, Ho!

The Tattered Cover Book Store will add new turf to its bookish Bonanza when it burns the "TC" brand in Highlands Ranch. Plans are for the 21,764 square feet of suburban space to translate into bibliophile bliss, with the same look and feel as the Cherry Creek and LoDo spreads: overstuffed chairs, a coffee bar, and plenty of room to curl up with a good read.

So why Highlands Ranch? According to owner Joyce Meskis, this was the best location to stake out. As an independent bookseller, she has to consider the competition, but at the new site, she notes, "There really are no other bookstores within six or seven miles of us. We found that we'd lost a lot of customers on the south side with T-Rex and all the construction, and this was the best location we found to reach them."

Most Denverites know the saga of the original Tattered Cover, which opened its doors in Cherry Creek in 1974 with a mere 950 square feet of book space. Since that time, the indie store has continued to expand. And while it's struggled at times against raids by the big chains, it's managed not only to survive, but also to prosper.

The LoDo branch, which is celebrating its tenth year, will join with the flagship store and the newbie for a customer-appreciation event today and tomorrow at the Highlands Ranch location, 9315 Dorchester Street. Signed first-edition books, book tokens, coffee and a $250 shopping spree will be given away, and Curious George and Peter Rabbit are scheduled to appear to promote the TC children's reading program. For details, call 303-470-7050 or visit www.tatteredcover.com. -- Jerry Theil

Food for Slaughter FRI, 11/19

What do Joan of Arc, Romeo, Ivanhoe, Kate and Petruchio, a crew of female construction workers and the acrobatic stars of the Peking Opera have in common? When called upon, they all put up a mean stage fight, whether it be dead serious or swashbuckling fun. En garde, you swine! Drawing on a spectrum of such fight scenes, 27 members of the Longmont Theatre Company's A Taste of Shakespeare troupe will present Food Fight 2004, a brawl of an evening pitting heroes against rogues and topped off by a high school football game between two dozen Shakespearean characters. Heads start rolling tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Longmont Performing Arts Center, 513 Main Street in Longmont. Admission -- one grocery bag of non-perishable food items or a $10 donation -- seems a small price to pay for such fun, and it benefits Community Food Share, to boot; for information, call 303-772-5200 or go to www.longmonttheatre.org. ­ Susan Froyd

Putting Out for Charity SAT, 11/20

Rev up, scooter folk -- here's your chance to charitably putt-putt your way through town en masse: Two of Denver's hippest scooter emporiums, Erico Motorsports and Sportique Scooters, are teaming up today to sponsor Scoot for Toys, a benefit drive to deliver new, unwrapped toys for the ailing young denizens at Ronald McDonald House. Arrive with toy donations in hand for coffee and bagels at 10 a.m. at Erico, 2855 Walnut Street; afterward, the entire scooter brigade will make its way, Santa-style, through urban streets to Ronald's place, where gifts will be proffered and barbecue from Bennett's will be served. Incidentally, the house, a home away from home for families of ill children, can always use extra supplies, from laundry detergent to trash bags; for information and a look at the wish list, go to www.ericomotorsports.com. --Susan Froyd

Turkey Booty Put the giving back in Thanksgiving WED, 11/24

The Thanksgiving spirit will come alive at the Breckenridge Brewery Gobblefest, today at 4 p.m. at the brewery, 2220 Blake Street. The goal of the event is to collect used coats to donate to various charities and missions in the LoDo area.

"The Breckenridge Brewery and Coats for Colorado teamed up to have an event like this to try to give something back to the neighborhood," says the brewpub's Trisha Bonnell. "People in the LoDo area see the homeless constantly, and with winter approaching, we want to try to help make sure the homeless are safe."

Along with the coat drive, which officially began November 15, Gobblefest will offer plenty of Pilgrim-based antics. The chance to try frozen-turkey bowling, turkey calling and tricycle racing while listening to DJs should provide plenty of incentive for anyone looking to get out of mandatory family gatherings.

The brewery will accept discarded outerwear of all kinds -- even if it's that tan Members Only jacket that hasn't been outside a closet since 1987. Call 303-297-3644 for information. -- Richard Kellerhals

Holiday Helper The Bookies backs Colfax THUR, 11/18

It's just a little party, but by attending, you can do a world of good for families struggling through life on some of the seedier stretches of Colfax Avenue, where the crime rate is high and the neighborhood is a patchwork of pawnshops, taverns and cheap residential motels. You'll also get in a bit of literate holiday shopping during An Evening at The Bookies, a wine-and-cheese fundraiser for the Colfax Community Network, an award-winning local organization providing services and programs for dozens of low-income children dotting the Colfax landscape.

For those in the market for meaningful, out-of-the-ordinary children's gifts that can last a lifetime, there's no better place to sip and browse than at The Bookies, the area's premier locally owned bookstore for kids; in addition to being a wonderful place to shop, the store will contribute a percentage of all of tonight's sales to the network. Drop by tonight between 6:30 and 9:30 p.m. with your gift list and a non-perishable food item to donate. The Bookies is at 4315 East Mississippi Avenue in Glendale; for more information, visit www.colfaxcommunitynetwork.org. -- Susan Froyd

Get the Events Newsletter

What's happening in town? From underground club nights to the biggest outdoor festivals, our top picks for the week's best events will always keep you in on the action.